Month: February 2014

How do I increase my sales but lower my advertising costs the small business owner asks the man sitting across the table. The man simply states that in order to increase his sales the small business owner needs to change the way he thinks.

Well this is much easier said than done for most business owners and managers as they are shuffling their way through daily grind of small business.

Have you been thinking inside the box too much lately?

When I first started to write on this blog in February of 2010 I was in search of ways to help offline small businesses get online and develop ways to attract, capture and convert prospects into customers utilizing online resources.

It was quite the search and ultimately I put together the pieces to be able to provide small business owners ways to connect their offline marketing with the online world and visa versa.

Why would a small business owner continue to struggle and pay countless thousands of dollars per month and year only to find that the marketing and advertising is not working?

Fear of loss of business? Not knowing other ways to create new business?

A little of both? Probably.

In a recent conversation with a business owner he mentioned that his agency didn’t know the difference between marketing and advertising. I mean this came as quite a shock considering the thousands of dollars this man had invested with this advertising company.

The confusion that is spread across the land of small business is so vast that it amazes me that most small business owners are able to make a profit.

So where does this lead us today when we broach the topic of Offline to Online Marketing? How does a small business owner with a limited budget and resources really do both?

This is the question we must face and answer plus we need to ask these Five Tough Questions:

Is the Offline Marketing and/or Advertising really working and has it been tested?

Is the Online Marketing and/or Advertising working and has it been tested?

Is there a mix of both that has tested and proven to bring in new business?

Is the Marketing and/or Advertising showing ROI?

Is there marketing in place to connect and keep current customers in your world?

It still surprises me as to the number of small business owners who don’t test their advertising. Yet they continue to spend and spend and spend, even when they don’t really know if it’s working!

The Online World has Changed

In the past four years the online world has changed dramatically with the uprising of local, social and mobile channels.

Local Search Optimization and Marketing has had a big impact on small businesses that rely on the local community for traffic and sales. From maps listings to directories to reviews and more. It’s an ever-changing landscape that can be red one day and then green the next.

Social Media Channels such as Facebook, Pinterest and Linked In are impacting small business in ways not even on the radar back in 2000. Mobile Technology and Search has been the biggest shift that I have seen since 2009.

More and more business people and consumers are using mobile web enabled devices and replacing their traditional desktop and laptop computers.

It’s like the wild, wild, west when it comes to mobile and the changes coming so frequently that it’s virtually impossible to keep up unless you are plugged and tuned in daily. So the next time someone asks you or you ask someone else, how do I increase my sales but lower my advertising costs, know that there is hope right around the corner. There is hope and our friends at Small Biz Mechanix are paving the way to help small businesses connect the offline to the online world.

It’s not very often that I write about and recommend software. Call it being reserved or just plain skeptical and to recommend what I consider to be the best online screen sharing software for small business is putting it mildly.

Keep in mind that this is my opinion but once you finish this article and do your own evaluation, I think you might come to agree with me. But we’ll just have to see now, won’t we?

Ok, so have you ever attended a webinar only to have the audio cut out or screen freeze up or didn’t display correctly? Or maybe you attended but the audio feed was really bad and so you watched for a while and then threw in the towel?

Believe me I feel your frustration and it’s not always the software or presenter. Sometimes it can be yours or my computer, internet connection or some other bug that presents itself.

Now maybe you didn’t fit into any of these categories but still use conferencing from time to time or maybe you are in a business that requires the sharing visuals with your clients and internal staff?

I actually ran across this software while using a free conferencing option.

When it comes to the best online screen sharing software for web-based presentations there are quite a few options available to you. But few are as affordable and easy to use as Start Meeting Screen Sharing software.

This web-based software comes packed with 10 Features that deliver bunch of value and you can pick a pricing plan that suites your budget.

1. Screen Sharing is the basic feature that allows you to share desktop content during meetings.

2. Integrated Audio gives you multiple audio options for your online meetings. This is one feature that adds some punch.

3. Audio Conferencing so you can have up to 1,000 callers on the line all at one time! Plus this can also be used as a stand-alone service.

4. Cloud Based Presentations where you can record your screen with audio

5. Customizable Meeting Wall which essentially can be a customized landing page

6. Web Controls where you can manage conferences via a web browser

7. Radio Mon! – This unique feature is setup where you can stream live conferences from your wall. I mean how cool is that to be able to click to stream a conference!

8. The Broadcaster allows you to play audio files during conference calls, so if you have a prerecorded audio that you want to share with your prospects or clients… Wallah – click play and you’re on your way.

9. Meeting Bender is a cool feature that allows you to rewind live screen sharing presentations.

10. TheCloud Drop Box allows you to upload your documents from your individual wall so you can easily share with participants.

What more could you ask for than a screen sharing software?

It’s packed full of features and delivers lots of benefits so you can be more productive inside and outside your company. So go on over to Start Meeting right now and Get Started so you can communicate and connect better with your prospects, clients, subscribers and staff.

When it comes to networking leaders in business and ministry, there are a few people who come to mind but one that stands out for me and that’s Bob Bowen.

Bob Bowen’s commitment to churches, ministries and non-profits has been proven within organizations like World Vision, Partners International and C3. Bob’s passion and drive to connect people together is one I have never seen before in my 27 years involved in small business.

People like Bob are rare, based on the simple fact that they really care and desire to help you and others with like or similar interests.

When we look at the world of networking, whether you are in the non-profit, public or private sectors, people like Bob can be such a blessing as they continually outreach and connect with others who can make an impact.

Clean Compassion Brings Hope

With that said, it’s really easy to get all caught up in your day to day business or ministry and lose sight of what is really important. Last year Bob Bowen and I met with Tom Mehrer from Clean Compassion and I must say that this was one of those memorable meetings that had an impact on me and a young man located in Monrovia, Liberia.

As you may or may not know micro finance and helping small business owners in various parts of the world is something I’m interested in and have written about since 2010. If you haven’t heard of micro finance check out – Kiva.org and World Vision and you’ll get to see the different programs you can participate in.

Clean Compassion is an entirely different micro enterprise business model in that it provides products for the entrepreneur to sell, and these products are solar oriented. So now there are several other ways that you can support a fellow small business owner in another country or territory plus you’ll have a back up solar light and way to charge your mobile and tablet should the power go out.

Plus when you travel you’ll be prepared for an emergency and Clean Compassion can help light the way and communicate when others may be unable to.

And for those of you that are avid outdoor enthusiasts, wouldn’t it be great to bring your light and be able to check your stocks and Facebook & Linked In pages from a peak in the mountains, cabin or campsite on the lake?

Well, maybe not if you are a true diehard. 🙂

Either way, preparedness or enthusiast, you’ll be a happy camper with your Clean Compassion solar light, plus your contribution will help a small business owner somewhere in the world to achieve his or her dreams.

So my hats off to networking leader Bob Bowen and social entrepreneur Tom Mehrer for making a difference and connecting people across the globe.

I sure hope their example shows others how they can make an impact no matter where they are located.

Back around the year 1990 I was first introduced to the writings of Og Mandino, Dale Carnegie, Napolean Hill, Robert Schuller, Norman Vincent Peale and Frank Bettger. There were so many others who still line my personal library today but of all the authors, Mandino has been the one who really stuck with me as his character Simon would share and bring hope. Og had a way with words that I rarely see with authors today.

Well as the year starts to creep by, day-by-day and week-by-week, people tend to slip back into their old habits and ways, leaving new habits on the side of the trail or road, to die and wither along with others just like them. And thus their life goes on and all of the old habits continue to stay rooted and firmly planted. Some old habits may be great. Others need to be kicked out and replaced.

So I figured it best to write about how to create good habits and the example I share today is of myself and the ole habit of exercise.

Last October I happened to step on the scale while I traveling back East and low and behold I was 15 lbs. higher than what I called overweight. In a nutshell I had packed on 35 pounds, looked terrible and was quite ashamed of what I had done to my body.

So three of us made a friendly bet and agreed to lose at least 15 pounds within 120 days, and with the money on the table I got to work and finally changed my habits the next day.

Did it happen overnight? No.

Did I have to work at it? Yes – on a daily basis. But once I got going, I was determined to lose more than the 15 pounds and eventually drop over 30 pounds.

Has it been hard? Yes it has, but it’s also great to see the weight drop.

And I’m still working at it and on it since now it’s a daily habit.

The bottom line…

Learn how to create good habits by studying and applying what great authors like Og Mandino did. Because your habits will make you or break you ad you’ll most likely need help along the way. Business or Personal it makes no difference.

And this is one of the lessons I learned from Og Mandino -Get rid of old habits and create new, good ones.

So it’s not too late for you. No matter how much you have attempted and failed.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get a move on by forming new, good habits.

Business or Personal it makes no difference. Whether you need to change your work schedule to fit in exercise or maybe watch less TV, you can carve the time out of the same 24 hours that we all have.

So get started today or even tomorrow, but delay no longer as this year will pass you by so fast your head will spin. And if you need some encouragement, pick up an Og Mandino book or drop me a line and we’ll connect.